Isaac Fisher (January 18, 1877 – August 23, 1957) was an American

educator A teacher, also called a schoolteacher or formally an educator, is a person who helps students to acquire knowledge, competence, or virtue, via the practice of teaching. ''Informally'' the role of teacher may be taken on by anyone (e.g. whe ...

who graduated from

Tuskegee Institute Tuskegee University (Tuskegee or TU), formerly known as the Tuskegee Institute, is a private, historically black land-grant university in Tuskegee, Alabama. It was founded on Independence Day in 1881 by the state legislature. The campus was de ...

, served as principal at Branch Normal College, and taught at several other Historically Black Colleges and Universities. A protege of

Booker T. Washington Booker Taliaferro Washington (April 5, 1856November 14, 1915) was an American educator, author, orator, and adviser to several presidents of the United States. Between 1890 and 1915, Washington was the dominant leader in the African-American c ...

, he advocated vocational education.

Life

Fisher was born in East Carroll Parish, Louisiana, on a plantation called Perry's Place. He was born to former slaves, and was the youngest of their sixteen children. Fisher graduated from the

in 1898, and was

valedictorian Valedictorian is an academic title for the highest-performing student of a graduating class of an academic institution. The valedictorian is commonly determined by a numerical formula, generally an academic institution's grade point average (GPA ...

of his class. He succeeded

Joseph Carter Corbin Joseph Carter Corbin (March 26, 1833 – January 9, 1911) was a journalist and educator in the United States. Before the abolition of slavery, he was a journalist, teacher, and conductor on the Underground Railroad in Ohio and Kentucky. After th ...

as principal of Branch Normal College, from 1902 to 1911. During his tenure, the school concentrated on elementary and secondary education of students. He taught at

Fisk University Fisk University is a private historically black liberal arts college in Nashville, Tennessee. It was founded in 1866 and its campus is a historic district listed on the National Register of Historic Places. In 1930, Fisk was the first Africa ...

and Hampton Institute. He believed, as did his mentor

, in industrial education for African Americans. His papers are held at the

University of Arkansas The University of Arkansas (U of A, UArk, or UA) is a public land-grant research university in Fayetteville, Arkansas. It is the flagship campus of the University of Arkansas System and the largest university in the state. Founded as Arkansas ...

Awards

*1926

Guggenheim Fellowship Guggenheim Fellowships are grants that have been awarded annually since by the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation to those "who have demonstrated exceptional capacity for productive scholarship or exceptional creative ability in the ar ...

Works

"The Negro Problem as we are trying to solve it at Tuskeegee"
''Proceedings of the Pennsylvania Yearly Meeting of Progressive Friends'', The Pennsylvania Yearly Meeting of Progressive Friends, 1891 *''Proceedings of the Annual Conference of the Presidents of Negro Land-Grant Colleges'', 1933
A College President's Story

References

External links

Fisher's biography
at the Guggenheim Foundation
Essay about Fisher
by Mary E. Kiffer on the Guggenheim Foundation website {{DEFAULTSORT:Fischer, Isaac 1877 births 1957 deaths Tuskegee University alumni University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff faculty Fisk University faculty Hampton University faculty